Comcast, Vermont’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced the launch of Xfinity in the state.  The company is rolling out the new brand for its technology platform and products – Xfinity TV, Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Voice, which delivers increased Internet speeds, more On Demand and HD choices as well as converged services like 150,000 choices of “anytime, anywhere” online entertainment with XfinityTV.com.    

Champlain College and the University of Vermont have joined forces to offer a new course entitled, "EcoDiplomacy Academy: Strategies for Environmental Diplomacy and Security" to help resolve environmental and resource-based conflicts locally and around the world.

A temporary bridge and road at the Route 2 Checkered House Bridge in Richmond will open on Wednesday, June 22. The temporary, two-lane bridge over the Winooski River is directly adjacent to the existing 1929 bridge on Route 2. Construction of the temporary bridge will allow traffic to flow smoothly on Route 2 while construction is underway at the existing 1929 bridge. 

Elizabeth Bankowski, Chair of the Green Mountain Care Nominating Committee, announced today that the panel is now accepting applications for the Chair and four side members of the independent, five-member Green Mountain Care Board, which was established by Vermont's landmark health care reform law. The board will be appointed by the Governor from a list of qualified candidates identified by the Nominating Committee and is to be in place by October 1.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced Sunday that the water level on Lake Champlain, which had hit a record high following a series of storms that began in early April, has officially dropped below the 100-foot flood stage. In addition, the National Weather Service in Burlington has withdrawn the flood warning for the lake that has been in effect since April 13.  

The South bound on and off ramps at exit 8 will be closed for paving between 7PM and 7AM Monday night June 20, 2011. Agency officials report that there will be no traffic allowed to use the South bound “on or off ramps” at exit # 8 (Montpelier) while night paving is being conducted. The night paving is scheduled to be completed Monday evening. VTrans has placed message boards on the interstate to give drivers advance warning of the closing. Normal day time construction will continue throughout the week. 

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has begun construction of a  fiber optic infrastructure along Interstates 89 and 91 from Sharon, Vermont  (Exit 2) to the Hartford Rest Area.  The project will provide VTrans with connectivity to transportation facilities and Intelligent Transportation System devices and applications along the corridor as well as contributing to the extension of long haul capacity for our statewide telecommunications infrastructure.  

New research finds that Seventh Generation, the nation's leading provider of non-toxic household products, is seen by consumers as the number one "green" brand in America.

Middlebury College has named James R. Keyes vice president for college advancement. A 1971 Middlebury graduate, Keyes is a former board member of the Middlebury College Alumni Association and current trustee of the college. He will be responsible for managing fundraising and alumni operations of all of Middlebury’s entities: the undergraduate college, the Language Schools, the Schools Abroad, the Bread Loaf programs, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He assumed his new responsibilities June 1.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for May 2011 was 5.4 percent. This reflects an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point to the statewide rate from the previously reported April level of 5.3 percent.  Compared to a year ago (May 2010), the statewide unemployment rate has trended down by 0.9 percent.